CHAPTER ONE

When they had returned from the island things between Oliver and Felicity had been tense. On the outside everything seemed normal, but they were both trying to keep their distance. Oliver knew what he had done was cruel but telling Felicity that he loved her was the only way to beat Slade. He hadn't meant to say it, only tell her that Slade had the wrong woman. But it slipped out. When everything was on the line he couldn't help but be completely honest with the woman who had pulled him out of the darkness.

There was no time for celebration once they were back in Starling. Diggle and Felicity were trying to find a way for Oliver to get Queen Consolidated back. As if that wasn't enough to deal with they had decided that it was time for a new foundry. Verdant wasn't a secure location anymore. The new foundry was smaller, they had to downsize since Oliver was close to broke. Or maybe the foundry felt this way to Felicity because their team had gotten a bit bigger. It seemed like they had traded one Lance in for another. Laurel was around all the time and it irked Felicity. Laurel and Oliver had such an easy rapport which was a hard enough pill to swallow; and she was still trying to heal her broken heart. It didn't help seeing Laurel making eyes at Oliver.

Diggle drove Felicity home after a particularly long day. It was a silent drive until Dig broke the ice. "You feeling okay Felicity? Normally you're babbling about something when I drop you off".

She glared at him, "Thanks Dig, I thought you loved my company. Oh and I don't babble, I just like to share my thoughts about things, like how our day went, what we need to be looking out for, how Oliver is an idiot and Laurel is totally taking my place on the team…and I'm going to stop talking in 3.2.1."

He laughed, "There is the Felicity I know and love. Just so you know no one could ever take your place, especially not Laurel".

"You don't get it Dig," She sighed, "Things are just… they're just different now."

"What the hell happened with you and Oliver that night?" He felt like it was the the millionth time he had asked and still had no real information.

"It's nothing, I'm probably just tired and cranky. You know how I get when I'm hungry." She laughed him off, but Dig knew there was something brewing beneath the surface.

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It wasn't more than a week later when she got the news. Barry was awake. He asked her to come visit Central City and she agreed readily. Oliver seemed annoyed and maybe a little jealous that she was going, not that he would actually come out and say something about it. So she went for the weekend and it was amazing. She felt care-free and had fun for the first time in a long time. Barry told her all about his new abilities and asked if she would consider moving to Central for a bit to help him out and adjust to his new life.

Barry knew it would be hard to take her away from Starling, "I know you and Oliver have your own thing going on…"

"We don't have a thing, we are just friends" she replied. "It would be hard for me to leave everyone, but I'll think about it. Promise."

Once she got back home she realized how all of her problems came rushing back. Oliver, the new team, she just didn't know if she belonged anymore. The last year and a half were all about Oliver and his mission to save the city. But she needed to figure out who she could be outside of Team Arrow, and away from Oliver. It was then and there that she decided she would go to Central City for a while. Some distance would do her good. She packed what she needed and quickly tapped out a note on her Queen Consolidated phone and left it on her kitchen table. They would find it. An hour later she was on a train bound for Central City.

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It was Wednesday and Felicity still wasn't back. Oliver was starting to worry.

"Dig, something's not right. Felicity was supposed to be back on Monday!"

"Relax Oliver, she texted me on Sunday saying that she was having a great time with Barry and that he had some exciting news."

"What news? And it's been a few days since then, we should have heard from her by now." he growled. He didn't want to admit it to anyone, let alone himself, but it had been like a part of him was missing while Felicity had been away. It didn't help to find out that she was having a great time away from him.

"She probably needed a few days away after the whole Slade debacle. It was pretty insane and she's not used to being out in the field like we are."

"Something isn't right," he growled. "I can feel it."

"Are we talking about Felicity?" Laurel interrupted, Both men were surprised to see her walking into the foundry. "Is she still not back yet?"

Dig rolled his eyes, he wasn't exactly Laurel's number one fan. She had been pushing her way into Oliver's life since they got home. It wasn't that he disliked Laurel, she just seemed to use him whenever it was convenient, and he was protective of his best friend. It didn't help that Oliver always jumped to her aid no matter how small the problem. "I was just telling Oliver that I'm sure she is fine."

"Yeah Ollie, you should listen to Diggle, you worry about that IT girl too much."

Dig walked away. He knew that if he stayed he would say something that he was going to regret. Oliver, however, was to lit up to keep quiet. "She's not just an IT girl Laurel! She's an important part of the team and I don't like that I haven't heard from her for so long."

"Are you sure that's the only reason why you're so upset that she's not here?" Laurel muttered under her breath.

Oliver ignored her and recruited Diggle on their new mission. "C'mon Dig, lets stop by Felicity's place and check to see if she's ok."

Dig tried to hide his smile from Laurel, "Right behind you boss!"

The drive to Felicity's was quick, and the car had barely stopped before Oliver was already out the door. He didn't bother to knock, instead reaching for the spare key she hid behind her lamp. He stormed in and within a few minutes realized that she wasn't inside. Now he really was worried. "Dig, she's not here and it doesn't look like she's been here for a while."

"I think you are going to want to see this…" Dig called from the kitchen.

Oliver bounded over and saw Dig looking at Felicity's phone. Dig passed it to him and said "I'm sorry" while patting him on the shoulder.

Oliver started reading,

Hey guys,

If you're reading this I guess it means that you broke into my place. A bit rude don't you think? Anyways, a lot has happened over the last couple years and I realized that I needed a break. I'm going out of town for a while. I need to clear my head and figure some things out. I promise that I'm okay and that I'll be safe. I mean I was doing just fine before you weirdos came into my life! But seriously, I just need some time away. Please don't come looking for me.

Be safe and take care of yourselves,

Felicity

Oliver collapsed onto the closest chair. "She's gone." he whispered. His mind was racing with a million different thoughts as he read and re-read the note.

Diggle interrupted "We need to let her go Oliver. She said she needs time so that's what we give her. If we push too hard we could risk losing her forever. We need to be smart about this."

"Be smart about this? How can you expect me to let her go? We don't even know where she is! This is ridiculous, she can't just leave without telling us. She could be in danger, we need to find her."

"Just take a minute to think about this man, something happened between you guys the night we took down Slade. I've tried to stay quiet about it but I think you need to give her time. She never asks for anything. We need to give her this."

Oliver thought about this for a minute. "Fine, but I'm still going to find out where she is. She may need space but I need to know that she's safe."

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